Project Brief
Berbera Fish
Market
Implementing Partner
Berbera Municipality
Implementation Period
2020 to 2023 (Construction complete)
Project Participants
Women Traders
Project Value
$ 300,000
Funding Partner
Denmark, UK
Excavation activities along the road project
Project Rationale
The case for the construction of the bypass is as follows:
Decongestion of Hargeisa city
Somaliland’s marine waters hold an estimated 180,000 to 200,000 metric tonnes (MTs) of fish, with a sustainable harvest of approximately 40,000 MTs a year according to the FAO. Today, the catch is well under 10% of that limit, held back by weak market access, limited cold-chain capacity and limited business skills. Findings from feasibility studies on the fish value chain, undertaken in the coastal fishing areas, revealed that Somaliland’s marketing and distribution of fish is still poorly developed, apart from a few fishing locations where cooling facilities exist and where marketing is more formalised.
Women have dominated the downstream trade in Berbera, yet operated from makeshift stalls with poor hygiene, low bargaining power and high spoilageAllow faster movement of humanitarian aid trucks e.g WFP trucks are normally held at Halaya check point during the day and only released at night.
As a critical link to the Berbera Port; decongesting the bypass builds a business case for the Port and will have an indirect impact on foreign direct investments, job creation, other income and business opportunities, logistics and financial services.
Contributing to the growth and development of Somaliland through generation of revenue that is critical for financing government, provision of social and other development programmes.
Implementation Strategy
Berbera’s new solar-powered fish market lets 200 women trade every day, whatever the weather, from spacious hygienic stalls equipped with clean water, cold rooms, and discreet breastfeeding rooms and prayer areas . The facility was built through a partnership between Berbera Municipality and TMA, with financing from the Governments of the UK and Denmark, and is run jointly with local women’s groups. The market gives fishers a reliable marketplace for their catch and offers businesswomen an orderly sanitary setting where customers can count on fresh fish. With construction completed in 2024, the programme’s long-term goal will train traders in good hygiene practice, bookkeeping, group marketing and digital payments. Brokerage events with wholesalers, hotels and diaspora investors, and pilot export consignments – once quality protocols are established – will open the door to higher-value markets. Huda Omar Iman, one of the traders, shared her optimism: "I am one of the businesswomen who will benefit from this market, and indeed it is something we desperately needed. I am hopeful about the positive changes it will bring. We are thankful to the local government, regional officials, organisations and everyone who played a role in making this happen. You are the catalysts of our growth and success."